Four companies will collect debris and manage the process of cleaning up Pratt City, Mayor William Bell said. (Linda Stelter/Birmingham News)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --- Four companies will collect debris and manage the process of cleaning up decimated parts of Pratt City at a cost that's expected to run well past $10 million, Mayor William Bell said.

Bell on Wednesday gave more details of his plan to remove debris. He made an unscheduled appearance at a meeting of the City Council's Public Safety Committee, where he gave an overview of the process and asked for a council work session Friday to discuss approving $10 million to begin the cleanup.

"We have to put in place the money so we can activate these contracts," he said. "As we expend the money we can apply to be reimbursed by FEMA."

The council Tuesday had delayed acting on Bell's request for $10 million to hire two companies for debris removal and recycling in Pratt City and other tornado-ravaged areas in western Birmingham. Bell said the cost would far exceed the $10 million request but the money would begin the massive process.

The mayor said he would provide the contracts, information about the companies and a timeline of work to the council.

Council members have accused Bell of being stingy with details. Members said they lacked information about the contractors and had not even seen the documents.

The city has hired DRC Group, a Mobile-based company, for debris removal and Southeast Renewables, a Pensacola company, to process recyclable debris.

Bell said the city has issued an additional request for proposals for debris pickup on private property, in addition to negotiating with Arcadis/Malcolm Pirnie to monitor the process. Malcolm Pirnie is an engineering firm with major contracts with the Birmingham Water Works Board. The company merged with Arcadis in 2009.

Councilwoman Valerie Abbott suggested the city might use the Army Corps of Engineers to handle the entire project, but Bell said such a move would take away the city's control and local reinvestment.

"If they do it, they just take care of it," Abbott said. "If we do it, we have to go through all this paperwork and rigmarole."

While that process might be simpler, Bell said, it would also mean less local participation. He said several council members have told him they would not support anything that didn't include local and minority participation, a process he could not guarantee if the Corps of Engineers led the project. The companies chosen have agreed to use local and minority subcontractors, he said.

"I'm trying to balance the need for debris cleanup with the desires of a majority of the council members with regard to the economic impact that this could have on local businesses," Bell said.

A final decision on the requested work session remains up to Council President Roderick Royal, who said Wednesday evening he was polling the council to determine the best date and time. The Public Safety Committee recommended the meeting.

"If the mayor is willing to communicate with the council and share the whole picture so we can move forward and not get bogged down in personalities, then we have to meet," Councilman Johnathan Austin said later. "If the lines of communication are open, then we need to let them flow."